1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus which records an image on a recording medium, a storage medium storing instructions for the recording apparatus, and a control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2.008-173800 describes an image recording apparatus including a medium supplying section which supplies a recording medium, an image recording section which performs recording on the recording medium, a first medium transporting section which transports the recording medium supplied by the medium supplying section to an area facing or opposing to the image recording section, an image reading section arranged between the first medium transporting section and the medium supplying section, a second medium transporting section which returns, to the medium supplying section, the recording medium having the recording performed thereon by the image recording section and which turns over (inverts) the front and back surfaces of the recording medium, and a discharging section which discharges the recording medium. In this image recording apparatus, when inspecting the quality of the image recorded on the recording medium, the recording medium having the image recorded thereon at the image recording section is transported again (re-transported) to the medium supplying section by the second transporting section, the image recorded on the recording medium is read at the image reading section and determination (judgment) is made whether the quality of the recorded image (image quality) is satisfactory or unsatisfactory. In a case that the image quality is unsatisfactory, the recording of image is stopped and an abnormality recovering process, etc., is executed.
In the image recording apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid open No. 2008-173800, the image quality is not judged again even in a case that the image quality is unsatisfactory due to, for example, any deviation in ink discharge timing. In view of this, the inventor of the present teaching considered a configuration for confirming whether or not the image quality is recovered, the inventor found out the following task.
For example, in such a case that a test pattern as an image for inspecting the recording timing (ink discharging timing) is recorded on a recording medium and the quality of the test pattern is judged, the recording medium having the test pattern recorded thereon is re-transported by the second medium transporting section (first re transportation). Then, the test pattern is read at the image reading section and the judgment of the image quality of the test pattern is made, namely, whether the image quality of the test pattern is satisfactory or unsatisfactory is judged. In a case that the image quality is judged to be unsatisfactory, a re-test pattern which is affected by any correction of the discharge timing is recorded on the recording medium, and the quality of the re-test pattern is judged. Here, the following case is considered wherein the re-test pattern is to be recorded on the recording medium on which the test pattern has been recorded. In such a case, after the test pattern on the recording medium is read at the image reading section, the recording medium passes through the image recording section without having the re-test pattern being recorded thereon, and the recording medium is re transported by the second transporting section (second re-transportation). Then, after the image of the re-test pattern is recorded on the recording medium by the image recording section, the recording medium is re-transported by the second transporting section (third re-transportation); and by reading the image of the re-test pattern by the image reading section, the judgment of the image quality of the recorded re-test pattern is performed. In such a manner, it is possible to confirm whether or not the lowering in image quality due to the deviation in the ink discharge timing is recovered, while causing a such problem that since the recording medium is re-transported as many as three times by the second transporting section, an inspection time required for confirming whether or not the image quality has been recovered becomes long. Note that in a case of recording the re-test pattern on a new recording medium, the re-transporting of recording medium (recording media) by the second transporting section is performed substantially twice, which in turn shortens the inspection time, but causes another problem that another recording medium has to be consumed.